Page 2
THE BATTALION
College Station, Texas Wednesday, February 12, 1969
TELEPHONE
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
“ One thing: for sure, some of those guys in the class of ’72
will make it big: as house painters!”
Liquor by the Drink:
A Texas Melodrama
The Associated Press report (page 3) on yesterday's
liquor-by-the-drink hearings in Austin referred to the action
as “an annual performance.” Maybe the term “melodrama”
would be more accurate, because all the major elements are
there for a legislative production of “The Perils of Pearl
Pure water, or Lips that Touch Strong Drink Will Never
Touch Mine.”
The scene opens with the heroine in a compromised
position: the voters of Texas, acting as the Fickle Finger
of Fate, have opted for liquor-by-the-drink, thus leaving
Pearl’s homestead vulnerable to foreclosure. Enter The
Villain (hiss, boo), Wicked Willie Wet.
“Aha!” cries Wicked Willie, twirling his handlebar
mustache. “At last you are in my power!” He brandishes
the results of last spring’s vote on the issue and cackles
lewdly.
The heroine puts her fist to her forehead in anguish
and wails something vague about honor and virtue. This
is the cue for (fanfare) the entrance of The Hero (cheers
and huzzahs). Dashing Danny Dry.
“Have no fear, Pearl,” he intones. “Although 42 of
the 50 states have been foreclosed upon by Wicked Willie’s
liquor-by-the-drink laws, Texas shall remain pure! Even
if it doesn’t want to.’
“Curses!
(Continued from page 1)
agement services director.
“Phones are a private contract
between the person and the com
pany. The university has no
part in it at all.”
“THE LOCATION policy was
adopted by us,” Erwin said. “We
were trying to get a standard lo
cation so the phones would be
easier to install. If, however,
someone wants a different model
or location, we will be happy to
do it if he will call 18 and let
us know.”
Many people commented on
difficulties encountered when
trying to reach the operator. M.
C. Hairgrove, an English profes
sor, complained that he some
times had to wait three to five
minutes for the operator to
answer.
“WE RAN A traffic check,”
Erwin said, “and found that be
tween 12 midnight and 2 a.m. we
had a fairly large volume of traf
fic. We have since changed the
shift schedules to allow for this
and make sure we have enough
operators on duty.
“We have had some supervisor
changes in the last year or so,”
he continued, “and we run an
Automatic Time Record (ATR)
to see how long it takes to get a
call answered. Last month, for
instance, we had an index of 7.3.
This means that 82.7 per cent of
the calls were answered within
ten seconds.
“We also have encouraged our
operators to ‘overlap’ calls, or
take information on one and then
answer another call before put
ting the first one through. It has
improved our service somewhat.”
ROBERT McKinzie wanted too
know why an AT&T credit card
could not be used unless a student
signed the long distance agree
ment with the phone company.
Frank Bemgen had the same ques
tion concerning collect calls.
“When a student signs the re
lease on his phone,” Edwin ex
plained, “we allow that student
access to the Bryan operator. We
have no way of knowing whether
or not he will make only collect
calls, or whether or not someone
else might use his phone. We
have to require the release for
our own protection.”
Some students complained about
the length of time required to
change long distance service from
one room to another. They were
also worried about calls being
made on their old phone.
“A STUDENT’S responsibility
ends when he notifies us to dis
connect,” Erwin emphasized. “The
changeover is basically paper
work. The actual changeover at
the central office is relatively
easy.”
A number of people also com
plained of loud volume in the
phones, poor connection on long
distance calls, and a lack of dial
tone when the handset is picked
up.
“As far as the volume is con
cerned,” Erwin said, “the current
in the lines is of a standard value.
If a student feels the bell volume
is too loud, he can call repair
service and have it changed.
“IF SOMEONE experiences a
poor connection,” he continued,
“he should flash the operator and
tell her of his trouble. A lack of
dial tone is simply because many
circuits are in use, and the line
finder is taking a little longer
to find an open line.”
The final big complaint of stu
dents was incorrect billing. Many
reported bills every month for
calls not placed.
“If a student feels he did not
make a call,” Erwin explained,
“he should call the business of
fice, 823-0911, and tell them he
did not make that call. We will
check with the other party, and
if they cannot remember receiv
ing the call, the student is not
billed.
“We have to send a credit
voucher to San Angelo, and some
times it doesn’t get there until
after the bills have been sent out.
“A STUDENT will not have to
pay for a call he did not make.
“We can only do something
about trouble experienced when
we know about it,” Erwin con
cluded. “As soon as we know, we
try to get right on it. If people
will remember to dial 18 when
they have trouble we will be able
to serve them better.
Bulletin Board
TONIGHT
Psychology Club will meet at
8 p.m. in room 6 of Nagle Hall.
1* . „ ., s v , , Pat McGraw from neurophysi-
Foiled again, is, of course, the expected ology will be guest speaker,
reply from you-know-who. , ' Hillel Club will meet at 7:30
The trouble is, this turn-of-the-century morality play p . m . in the Hillel Building. Fri-
is being staged before a national audience and financed by
tax dollars. Dashing Danny is, of course, the personifica
tion of witnesses before the House Constitutional Amend
ments Committee, among whom yesterday was a Houston
grandmother credited by AP with the following remarks:
“Liquor by the drink has the history ever since the Civil
War of defiling everything it touches, and I hate to see
my state defiled . . . The more you are exposed to tempta
tion, the more likely you are to succumb to it . . . No state
has the right to enrich itself by the degradation of its
citizens.”
The AP also noted, however, that the measure was
referred to a subcommittee with a “wet” majority. Wicked
Willie and the voters of Texas may yet change the script.
203 of
Spring
the Academic
party will be
Hillel Club will meet at
p.m. in the Hillel Building,
day night services will be held
at 8 p.m.
THURSDAY
Grayson County Hometown Club
will meet at 7:30 p.m. in room 3-C
of the Memorial Student Center.
This is a reactivation meeting and
all Grayson County residents are
urged to attend. For further in
formation contact Tom Bonn,
845-6004, or Jack Roy, 50 Mitchell
Hall.
DeWitt-Lavaca County Home
town Club will meet at 7:30 p.m.
THE BATTALION
in room
Building,
planned.
Texas A&M Chapter of DPMA
will meet at 7 p.m. in room 104 of
the Teague Building. The charter
meeting of the organization will
be discussed. All members and
prospective members should at
tend.
Panhandle Area Hometown Club
will meet at 8 p.m. in room 3-B
of the MSC.
Bell County Hometown Club
will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the MSC
lobby. Picture will be taken.
Sweetheart will be chosen; bring
pictures of candidates. Class “A”
Winter or midnights, coat and tie
for civilians.
Texas A&M Gavel Club will
meet at 7 p.m. in the YMCA
basement.
I LISTEN UP |
Lk-— the hatt forum —J
Editor,
The Battalion:
After having been recently re
located from a College View
apartments (scheduled to be re
placed by a new unit) to another
apartment in the complex, I was
somewhat annoyed to discover
that the local telephone company
was telling me my telephone
would be placed in the bedroom
and I could no longer have a wall
phone installed in my apartment.
(Which is quite convenient, con
sidering I have a two-year-old
daughter who likes to play with
telephones within reach.) I was
told only table phones would be
allowed. However, upon inquiring
further, I was informed this deci
sion was made by the “Univer
sity.” Supposedly, installation of
a wall phone defaces the walls,
since subsequent occupants will
probably request that their
phones be placed in a different
location. If I remember correctly,
very little damage is done to a
wall during installation or re
moval of a wall phone.
Consequently, the purpose of
this letter is twofold:
• To clarify to fellow students
in College View that the decision
to require phones to be placed in
the bedroom did not originate
either at the local telephone com
pany or at the Student Apartment
Office, but at the “University,”
according to telephone company
personnel.
• To ask why all phones, re
gardless of type (table or wall)
must be placed in the bedroom?
Is the “University” that con
cerned with the condition of walls
in College View apartments? (If
so, we will be led to believe that
nails, etc. will henceforth not be
used to hang pictures, etc.)
I, and I am sure many other
College View residents, would ap
preciate an explanation. Aren’t we
paying rates equal to other com
munity residents and shouldn’t
we be given the prerogative to
decide the most convenient loca
tion for our phones? If it is nec
essary to standardize location
(which I doubt seriously),
wouldn’t a more central location
be more convenient? Again, some
clarification from the person(s)
responsible for the decision would
be appreciated.
Nelson L. Jacob
Howard Vestal, management
services director, emphasized yes
terday that the university has
issued no such directive. Bill
Erwin, division manager for
General Telephone in Bryan, ad
mitted that the policy was set up
by the phone company for stand
ardization, but that anyone desir
ing a change can request and
obtain it. —Ed.
For all your insurance needs
See U. M. Alexander, Jr. ’40
221 S. Main, Bryan
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State Farm Insurance Companies
823-3616
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7 DWARF’S
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of
the student writers only. The Battalion is a non-tax-
supported, non-profit, self-supporting educational enter
prise edited and operated by students as a university and
community newspaper.
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced,
and must be no more than 300 words in length. They
must be signed, although the writer’s name will be with
held by arrangement with the editor. Address corre
spondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217,
Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
Lindsey, chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal
Arts ; F. S. White, College of Engineering; Dr. Donald R.
Clark, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Hal Taylor, Col
lege of Agriculture.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M is
published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through
May, and once a week during summer school.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services. Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San
Francisco.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school
year ; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 3%
sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address:
The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
republication of all new dispatches credited to it or not
otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous
origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other
matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
EDITOR JOHN W. FULLER
Managing- Editor Dave Mayes
Sports Editor John Platzer
City Editor Mike Wright
News Editor Bob Palmer
Staff Columnists John McCarroll, Mike Plake,
Monty Stanley, Jan Moulden
Staff Writers Tom Curl, Janie Wallace, Tony
Huddleston, David Middlebrooke
Assistant Sports Editor Richard Campbell
Photographer W. R. Wright
ATTENTION!
All New Freshmen
Have your picture made
lor the 1969 AGGIELAND
at
University Studio
NORTH GATE
Between Feb. 3-15 Only
Most of the cars that are competitive with Chev-
rolets are clamoring for you to buy them now.
Big deal. (You hope.)
Chevrolet offers something even better than hope.
Many popular items are priced less than a year ago.
Such as Powerglide and large V8’s. Head restraints
are now standard. New advanced-design power disc
brakes are priced over a third less than our power disc
brakes were last year.
So we’re offering a ’69 Camaro Sport Coupe for less
money than last year.
$147.00* less if you equip it with the new 350-cu.-in.
250-hp V8 (as compared with last year’s 327-cu.-in.
275-hp Eight), the Powerglide and power disc brakes,
whitewalls and wheel covers.
Help us deflate inflation.
Show up at your Chevrolet dealer’s Showdown.
You’ll win.
^ Based on manufacturer's suggested retail prices t
including federal excise tax and suggested
dealer new car preparation charge.
Value Showdown:
$147.00 less than
last yearns Camaro with
comparable equipment
Tire
Just
othe
220